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3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

H. R. 'BBHRBNS- LEATHER STRETUHING MACHINE.

Patented Feb. 9, 1892.

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(No Model.) SISheets-Sheet 2.

H. R. BEHRBNS.

LEATHER STRETGHING MACHINE.

No. 468,392. Patented Feb. 9,'1892.

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(No Model.) SShGetS-Sh-eet 3. H. R. BEHRENS. LEATHER STRETGHING MGHINE.

No. 468,392. Patented Feb. 9, 1 892.

VET-f- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY R. BEIIRENSROF \VORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T() ARTHUR M. TAFT, OF SAME PLACE.

LEATHER-STRETCHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,392, dated February 9, 1892.

Application tiled June 20, 1890. Serial No. 356.082. (No model.)

T all whom t may concern: in suitable longitudinal guideways .I J se- Be it known that I, HENRY R. BEHRENS, of cured to frame A. During the stretching opthe city and county of Vorcester, and State eration the clamping device I is held staof Massachusetts, have invented certain new tionary in its supports, while the device I is 55 and useful Improvements in Leatl1er-Stretch moved forward with short intermittent moveing Machines; and I do hereby declare that ments to gradually draw out the leather lonthe following is a full, clear, and exact degitudinally as it is stretched by the rackingscription thereof, reference being had to the blades :rubbing back and forth upon the unaccompanying drawings, forming a part of der surface thereof. Said forward intermit- 6o IO this specification, and in which tent movement is imparted by an eccentric Figure l represents a side view of aleather- K on the main shaft through suitable connecstretching machine embodyingr my improvetions with a pawl L, which engages with a ments. Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudiratchet wheel M, and thence through said nal section thereof. Fig. 3 is an end `view of wheel, the shaft N, on which it is secured, a 65 I5 the machine, looking in the direction of arrow pinion O, also secured on said shaft. and a a, Fig. l; and Fig. 4 is an opposite end view rack P on the under side of "carriage I2, with of said machine, as shown by arrow a. which said pinion engages, as is shown in.

Myinvention relates to thatclass of leather- Fig. 2. Up to this point in the description stretching machines employed for stretching the construction and arrangement of the va- 7o 2O leather for belting and similar purposes by rions parts are old, and therefore no claim is power mechanism operating automatically; made thereto. and it consists in certain improvements in My invention, as previously stated,consists the means employed in said machines for elein improvements in the means employed for vating and lowering the ends of the racking elevating or lowering the outer ends of the 75 or rubbing frames to adjust the blades thereracking-frames, the object thereof being to of to the leather being stretched, as will be provide means whereby the pressure on the hereinafter more fully specified. leather may be adjusted close up to its fast- Following is a detailed description of my enings, and thus maintain the same relative invention with reference to the accompanypressure upon said leather as it is lengthened So 3o ing drawings. out by stretching.

The parts marked A represent the frame- The device for adjusting the end of frame work of the machine. B B are the racking- B works automaticallyin connection with the frames thereof, which are pivoted at the botautomatic feed movement previously detom of their inner ends to a bolt h, mounted scribed, While that for adjusting frame B' is 85 in suitable standards c, extending up from operated by hand. Said automatic device is the carriage C. Said carriage is moved forconstructed and operated in the following ward and back in suitable stationary guidemanner: Atransverse frame Qis fitted to slide ways D with short reciprocating movements vertically in suitable stationary guideways by means of a crank E on the main shaft F, Q Q', one upon each side of the machine. To 9o 4o through the connecting-rod G, pivoted at its the upper side of said slide-frame Q, is ceninner end to said carriage and at its outer trally secured a bearing Q2, to which is pivend tothe crank. Driving-'power may beimoted the lower end of a supporting screw-rod parted to the main shaft in any well-known (l, havinga spiral springeiitted over the same, Way. Each racking-frame is provided with said spring being held at its lower end by a 95 a series of transverse removable blades B2, nut or collar fon the rod and at itsupper which fit in vertical slots BS in said frames. end in the opening of an inverted socket- The leather II to be stretched extendslengthpiece g, whose upper end is ball-shaped and wise of the machine, resting on the top edges tits into a socket-bearing g on the bottom of of the blades and held at the ends by adjustframe B, as is fully shown in Fig. 2, thus roo 5o able clamp devices I I mounted on carriages formingaball-and-socket joint which permits I2 I3, both of which carriages are fitted to slide the frame to rest unattached, so that it may work freely on said bearing, and yet be securely supported thereby.' In order that a yielding pressure may be imparted against the leather, only the spiral spring has a bearing in the upper end of the socket-piece (,the latter not striking the upper end of rod d, eX- cept when the frame is lowered below its bearing-point on the leather. As said leather is gradually stretched and pulled out lengthwise in the manner previously described, the slide-frame Q is correspondingly elevated, so as to elevate frame B through the above-described connections by means of lifting mechanism connected with the ratchet-wheel shaftv N. Said connections consist of the swinging levers 7i, 7L, pivoted at one end to frame A at 71,'n

h', and each engaging with a loop t' or other suitable bearing on slide-frame Q. To the inner ends of said levers are attached the chains jy', preferably passed over the guidepulleys 7c 7c or their equivalents, and attached at their upper ends to shaft N, so that when said shaft is turned the chains will be wound or unwound upon or from the same to elevate or lower the frame. By this construction it is obvious that the rotation of shaft N causes the front end of frame B to be elevated simultaneously and in conjunction with the longitudinal draft imparted upon the leather, and said upward pressure is'performed in a simple and effective manner.`

The mechanism for elevating the outer end of the other frame B is somewhat similar, with the exception of being constructed so as to be operated by hand. In the former instance only one supporting device is preferably used and at the center, as described; but in the latter instance two of said supports are preferably employed. I do not limit myself, however, to either number in constructing the machine in practice. A slide-frame R, fitted to slide in suitable stationary guideways R R is employed in the hand-operating device, as in the other instance. Rods Z l, bearings m m, socket-pieces n n, and bearings o o, similar to those corresponding thereto in the automatic device, are also used; but instead of employing springs over the rods Z they are dispensed with and the socket-pieces fan extended down longer than the socketpieces g, with their bottom ends bearing upon the nuts or collars p p, corresponding to the nut or collar f in the automatic device. The slide-frames are elevated in this instance by means of a hand-lever through the horizontal shaft T, fitted to turn in suitable bearings, and to which shaft said lever is secured, pinions U U, also secured to said shaft, and vertical racks V V, secured to slide-frame R, the pinions bein g adapted to engage with said racks.

By the above construction it is obvious that by turning the lever the slide-frame and its connections, as well as the outer end of frame B', may be elevated or lowered, according` to which way it is turned, and after adjustment the lever may be fastened by passing a pin q transversely through the same and into a stationary frame XV, preferably made in segment form and provided with a series of transverse holes q', as is shown in Fig. l. If desired, the joints between the bearings g o and upper ends of the pivoted frame-supports may be oiled through the oil-passages g2. (Shown in Fig. 2.)

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In aleather-stretching machine, the combination, with the outer end of pivoted racking-frame B, of slide-frame Q, tted to slide vertically in suitable stationary Yguideways and having means for supporting said frame B thereon, and shaft N, operatively connected with frame B, so as to automatically elevate and lower frame Q when said shaft N is turned, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In aleather-stretching machine, the co mbination of pivoted frame B, operatively connected with frame Q, and ls'aid frame Q, fitted to slide vertically in suitable stationary guideways, with chains j and shaft N, said'chains being operatively connected with the slideframe at one end and with said shaft at the other end and preferably passed over guidepulleys k, substantially 'as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a leather-stretching machine, thecombination of slide-frame Q, fitted to slide vertically in suitable guideways and having means, substantially as described, for elevating andloweringthe same,withpivotedspring rods d, socket-pieces g, and the outer Yend ofV the pivoted racking-frame B, preferably provided with a suitable bearing-piece g', substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a leather-stretelling-machine, the combination, with the outer end of the pivoted racking-frame B, of a device for elevating and lowering the same, consisting of thel springrod and socket-piece d g, bearing at its upper end in a suitable bearing on said frame B, and whose bottom end is pivoted to the slide-frame Q,said framel Q, tted to slide vertically in suitable stationary guideways,

levers h h, connecting with frame Q at one end and pivoted to frame A at the other, chains jj, connected with levers h 71, at one end and with shaft N at the other, guide-pulleys 7a 7c or their equivalents, and said shaft.

N, substantially as and for the purpose set l forth.

5. In a leather-stretching machine, the com-l bination of shaft T, having means for turning the same,withY pinions U U, secured thereon, vertical racks V V, secured to slide-frame R and meshing with said pinions, said frame R, litted to slide vertically in suitable guideways, and rods Z, pivoted to frame R and fitting in socket-pieces n n, said socket-pieces n fn,

and the outer end of pivoted frame B', having suitable hearings o o to receive the upper ends of the socket-pieces, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a leather-stretching machine, the oomhination of shaft T, iitted to turn in suitable stationary bearings and having means for turning the same, with pinions U U, secured thereon, vertical racks V V, secured to slideframe R and meshing with said pinions, said frame R, fitted to slide in suitable stationary gnideways, and pivoted frame B', operatively connected with said frame R, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7 In a leather-stretching machine, the combination of frame R, fitted to slide vertically in suitable stationary guideways, with rods l I, pivoted to said frame, fitting in socket-pieces n n and provided with the nuts or shoulders p p, said socketepieces `n n, and pivoted racking-frame B', having' suitable bearings o o zo HENRY R. BEHRENS.

Witnesses:

A. A. BARKER, W. B. NoURsE. 

